


you'll still be here tomorrow

by dapperyklutz



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: BAMF Peter Parker, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Father-Son Relationship, Fluff, Gen, Hurt Tony Stark, Precious Peter Parker, Protective Avengers, Protective Peter Parker, Worried Tony Stark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-29
Updated: 2018-06-29
Packaged: 2019-05-30 16:15:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,292
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15100430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dapperyklutz/pseuds/dapperyklutz
Summary: “Mr. Stark!” the young teen shouts in alarm when he sees Tony’s body propel towards the cemented wall.Peter thought he was done feeling this excruciating pain in his chest when his parents, and later on Uncle Ben, died. But apparently, life is so fond of throwing him a curveball because he’s experiencing that same heartbreak all over again. And honestly, he’s justsodone.





	you'll still be here tomorrow

**Author's Note:**

> So this came out of the blue. I've had a stressful week 'cos I just started my new job, and my nerves and anxiety became a bit much for me to bear, so I elected to write my frustrations away. This is the result.
> 
> It's quite a challenge writing Peter, but I hope it turned out okay. The title is taken from the lyrics of _Father & Son_ by Cat Stevens.
> 
> Enjoy reading!

_Crap._

Crap crap crap —

 _Shit_.

This shouldn’t have happened.

It was supposed to be _easy_. Infiltrate a research base located in the middle of nowhere in Delaware where a presumed group of scientists and engineers are working on a bio-weapon that, if fallen in the wrong hands, could cause the death of hundreds of millions in a matter of months. What Peter and the rest didn’t anticipate was that it wasn’t just a typical research base. Rather, it was friggin’ _Hydra_ sponsoring the whole thing!

Lo and behold, what happened instead was that both parties were taken aback at the recent developments the second Iron Man’s repulsors, Hulk’s inhumane strength, and Thor’s super awesome lightning-producing capabilities literally blasted through the thirty-inch cemented walls of the facility.

It’s literally taking the saying “all hell breaks loose” to a different level.

_So cool._

What followed was the messiest battle Peter has ever been a part of. Since discovering that it was Hydra, Tony had kept Peter close to him throughout the battle, which the young teen found ridiculous at first — _uh, hello? He’s Spider-Man!_ — but then Peter soon found out that these Hydra dudes are fighting _to the death_. Like, Peter’s already lost count how many times he almost got hit by one of their specialized weapons, and it’s only thanks to his still-developing “spidey senses” (he’s also lost count the number of times it was a false alarm, _jeez_ ) and ultra-fast reflexes that he’s managed to dodge all of them in the nick of time.

Half an hour into the fight, he and Tony managed to detain the group responsible for developing the bio-weapon. The genius-billionaire, using his usual charm, managed to coax one of the scientists to spill the beans on the development and creation of said weapon.

Peter was busy keeping watch while Tony interrogated the woman into revealing the name of the Hydra operative backing their research (“Just give me the name of your sponsor, and I promise you you won’t get a life sentence,” Tony had said smoothly. “I have the best lawyers, but I won’t be able to help you if you don’t give me a name.”) when a lone Hydra agent sneaked into the laboratory when Peter’s back was turned and he managed to shoot Tony with the specialized weapon.

It wasn’t until Peter’s senses tingled when he turned and saw the purple energy hit Tony at the back.

“Mr. Stark!” the young teen shouts in alarm when he sees Tony’s body propel towards the cemented wall.

Unfortunately, Tony had earlier willed his nanotech-suit to dematerialize the armor covering his face, and it’s due to Peter’s super-hearing abilities that he was able to hear the sound of his mentor’s unprotected head forcefully collide with the wall before the rest of his body slumps to the ground in a graceless heap.

Peter thought he was done feeling this excruciating pain in his chest when his parents, and later on Uncle Ben, died. But apparently, life is so fond of throwing him a curveball because he’s experiencing that same heartbreak all over again. And honestly, he’s just _so_ done. 

It’s when the captured scientists reacted violently to the gun firing, and Peter yelling in fear when he saw his mentor get hit, that the other Avengers called out to them over the comms.

“What’s going on?”

“I heard a shot.”

“Peter?! What happened?”

Without thinking, Peter acts on instinct and shoots a web at a nearby stool before he hauls it across the room to hit the Hydra operative. The impact was strong, hitting the guy right across the sternum as the weapon slips from his fingers and he falls to the floor.

“Peter, your heart rate has elevated,” he hears Karen’s concerned voice say, but Peter can barely hear her against the ringing in his ears. For some reason, his vision is also starting to darken around the edges. Huh, what's with that? “You are experiencing the first symptoms of a panic attack. I suggest you try to calm yourself down.”

Calm down? _Calm down_? How the hell can Peter calm himself down when his mentor is hurt and unconscious? Because of _him_ and his negligence? Thank God Tony was still wearing the rest of his Iron Man suit. If he hadn’t —

No. 

He can’t entertain those kind of thoughts. Tony’s going to be _okay_. He _has_ to be.

But it still doesn’t make it alright. It doesn’t alleviate Peter’s guilt, nor does it justify his next actions. And the white-hot fury burning in his veins is so incredibly tempting, the young teen can’t help but be drawn to it like a moth to a flame.

All his mind can think of in that moment are _Tony_ and _hurt_ and _Hydra_ , and the feeling of _rage_. So much rage.

No.

Calming down is so far down the list of Peter’s priorities in that moment.

“Spider-Man, stand down. Do not engage.”

Peter’s distantly aware that he’s shaking as he eyes the man groaning in pain. “I — I —”

“Kid, c’mon.”

“Stand down, Peter. Restrain the guy and check on Tony.”

Check on Tony. Tony who got hurt.

 _Tony’s hurt_ , Peter thinks numbly. Because of _me_. Because of _him_.

Karen’s voice comes next. “Peter, Captain Rogers is correct. Your heart rate is still spiking up, and you do need to calm down.”

“Tony —”

Sam’s reassuring voice cuts in. “He’s going to be okay, kid.”

That sets Peter off. “He got hit by a Hydra weapon and his head collided against a cemented wall that knocked him out, Sam. Mr. Stark's _far_ from being okay.”

“Peter, stay with Tony. I’m on my way to your location now. _Stay with_ —”

Peter ignores the raised and panicked voices of his fellow teammates over the comms as he finally succumbs to the rage burning in his veins and closes the distance between him and Tony’s attacker. Peter advances on the guy — who’s now trying to crab-crawl away from the young vigilante — and reaches him in two seconds flat before he grabs the man from the collar of his uniform and slams him hard against the fiber-optic glass next to the door. He rams him against the wall a second time, and the impact causes several cracks to appear in the glass.

The young teen’s breathing is heavy as he stammers out, “That wasn’t a nice thing to do, mister.”

The man sneers at him. “Nice is overrated, Spider-Man. Besides, whatcha gonna do about it? Web me to death?”

When he laughs at his own joke, Peter snaps. He takes the man’s wrist (the one he used to pull the trigger on Tony, the _bastard_ ) in his free hand, and Peter doesn’t hesitate to tighten his grip until he feels the bones break under his hold. The Hydra agent’s laugh is abruptly cut off into a shocked scream, and he screams louder when Peter breaks his thumb and forefinger at the same time.

“Peter?! What the hell is going on?” Steve’s authoritative voice comes over the comms, the underlying panic in the super soldier’s tone cutting through the cloud of fury and despair warring in the young teen’s head.

Peter cocks his head to the side. He even barely recognizes his voice as he coldly answers, “Nothing the Hydra dude who shot Tony doesn’t deserve, Captain.”

This time, it’s Natasha’s voice that speaks, her tone calm and even. “Peter, let him go. He isn’t worth it. Tony needs you more.”

Peter swallows through the tightness in his throat, and he blinks several times to clear his vision. “I — but he —“

“Listen to me, Pete,” Clint cuts in, and it’s in the understanding in his tone that makes Peter pause in breaking another finger. He ignores the Hydra agent whimpering, his grip on the man’s neck tightening slightly as he focuses on the archer’s following words. “I know how it feels. I know how much you want to hurt that asshole who hurt Tony. But I also know that once your mind’s clear of all that rage, you’re going to regret your actions. And I — _we_ — can’t have you living with that kind of guilt. Now, Tony needs you more. More than exacting revenge on someone; _even_ if it’s someone who hurt one of ours. So follow my advice and let. Him. Go. He’s not worth it, kid. Trust me. You’re _sixteen_ , for God’s sake. We’re not gonna allow you to kill someone in cold blood at such a young age. Not when we can do something about it.”

Nobody speaks for a long time, and save for the Hydra agent’s whimpering and Peter’s loud panting, it was quiet. Even the captured scientists, still trapped under the young teen’s heavy webbing to keep them in their place, remain silent, choosing instead to observe the scene before them with frightened expressions painted on their faces.

Minutes trickle by until Natasha and Steve arrive at the laboratory, and Peter still hasn’t moved from his position. From the corner of his eye, he sees the ex-Russian spy take one look at the young teen before she shares a significant look with Steve. With a nod, she makes a beeline towards Tony’s prone form. 

“P—Spider-Man?” Steve says cautiously, slowly approaching their youngest member.

Peter inhales deeply and exhales slowly.

 _Mr. Stark wouldn’t want you to do this either,_ he tells himself. _He’d want you to be better. That’s what he told you when he took your suit away when your head got bigger._

“Please let him go, Peter,” Steve adds in a quiet voice so the others wouldn’t hear. He reaches his side and doesn’t hesitate to place a hand on Peter’s shoulder.

With one last deep breath, Peter finally loosens his grip on the Hydra agent’s neck (the guy has lost consciousness by this point), and to his horror he sees the shape of his hand imprinted on the man’s skin. He quickly lets go of his other hand gripping the man’s broken hand as he takes several steps away from the damage he’s just done. The injuries _he_ deliberately inflicted on another human being. Bile rises in Peter’s throat as he watches Steve catch the operative by the front of his shirt before lowering the limp body to the ground until he’s lying on his side.

Slowly, his vision starts to clear and the anger boiling in his blood also begins to dissipate. He breaks out into a cold sweat as an unpleasant shiver runs down his spine once Peter registers the ramifications of what he’s just done.

“O-oh my god, what did I do? What was I thinking? I could’ve killed him — I _almost_ killed him. Oh my god, what is Mr. Stark going to think of me now? Shit. _Shit_ , Mr. Stark’s going to _kill_ me.”

Peter’s rambling is cut short when he feels Steve’s huge hands rest on his shoulders, the super soldier speaking to him in a soothing tone.

“Hey. Hey, Peter, calm down. Cam down, Spidey,” the blond man says, his voice still quiet so it’s only Peter — and by extension, the rest of their teammates over the comms — who can hear him. “ _Breathe_ , Pete. You didn’t kill him. Nobody’s going to kill anyone. You’re fine. You’re _okay_ , and Tony’s going to be okay. It’s not your fault.”

Peter chokes on his words. “B-but I _almost_ did, Steve. Oh my god. I-I didn’t mean to, I swear. I was just so — so _angry_ ‘cos he hurt Mr. Stark and I thought I was gonna lose him and _I should’ve seen it coming_ —“

“Pete, please —“

“— and my spidey senses are still wonky and I wasn’t fast enough. _I wasn’t fast enough_. I mean, Mr. Stark could’ve _died_ if he wasn’t wearing the suit, Steve. This is all my fault. Oh shit, oh my god I could’ve —”

His rambling is instantly cut off by Natasha. The redheaded spy doesn’t bother to look in their direction, her attention focused on checking on Tony’s injuries as she speaks in a low voice, aware that they’re not alone in the laboratory. “Kid, listen to Cap and _breathe_. Your panicking won’t help any of us, least of all Tony. I need you to stay with him here first while we deal with the aftermath.”

Knowing that he’ll experience her wrath if he doesn’t follow her advice (okay, so it’s more of an _order_ , if you know how to read Natasha), Peter does as he’s told and _breathes_. He ducks his head and closes his eyes as he breathes deeply. Distantly, he feels Steve lightly squeeze his shoulders in comfort, and Peter can feel his heartbeat slowly return to its normal rhythm after several minutes.

 _It’s going to be okay. Steve and Nat know what they’re doing. Mr. Stark’s going to be okay_ , he thinks, holding his breath for a few seconds before exhaling slowly with a nod.

Finally, the silence is broken when Natasha looks up from inspecting the lump at the back of Tony’s head as she addresses Steve next.

“Looks like he has a major concussion. He’ll definitely wake up with a massive headache. As for his other injuries, I can’t answer that unless we remove his suit, and we don’t have the override codes to dismantle it.”

Peter looks from the redhead to the super soldier as Steve considers his next words.

“I know the override codes, but I don’t think we should use it. We don’t know the full extent of the damage the blast did to Tony, so it’s safer if he remains in the suit.” Natasha nods in agreement as Steve turns his head to meet Peter’s concerned gaze. “I could use your help in carrying Tony out of here. Taking him back to the quinjet and receiving medical attention is a priority.”

Peter’s eyes widen as he nods his head vigorously. “Yeah! Yeah, of course. I want to — I’ll stay with Mr. Stark.”

Over the comms, Clint adds, “Wait, I’m coming with. I’ll drop you and Tony off at The Tower, Pete. Cap, I’ll contact Fury and have him send a team here to help you guys with the clean-up.”

Steve sighs quietly in relief. “Yeah, sounds good. Thanks, Clint.”

“No problem. I’ll go and prepare the quinjet for take-off now.”

Peter approaches Natasha before he kneels on his mentor’s other side. Resting a hand on Tony’s sweaty forehead, the young teen silently addresses his AI, “Karen, can you reach out to FRIDAY and ask her to give me an update on Mr. Stark’s condition?”

“Of course, Peter. This will take a moment.”

“Thanks, Karen.”

From his peripheral vision, he sees Natasha glance at him with an appreciative look as he waits for his AI to get back to him with an answer. Hopefully, it’s a good one.

“According to FRIDAY’s scans, Mr. Stark has suffered from several bruised ribs and a major concussion.”

Peter gulps. Okay, so it’s not really a good one, but at least they’re not life-threatening.

 _God_ , but still. This could’ve been avoided if he was more alert and quicker with his reflexes. Maybe if —

 _Shut up, this isn’t gonna help Tony at all_ , he scolds himself. Mentally shaking his head to clear those dark thoughts, Peter relays Karen’s message to Natasha and Steve. Eyes locking on Steve’s with a hopeful look, he adds, “Do you want me to do the lullaby for the Hulk? I was thinking ‘cos, well. Knowing Mr. Stark, he wouldn’t want to make a big deal out of it, plus Dr. Banner has medical knowledge and experience. I mean — I don’t know, that was just an idea.”

Steve smiles softly at Peter as he walks over to them after securing the magnetic handcuffs on the unconscious Hydra agent.

“That’s good thinking, Spidey. Help me carry Tony first to the quinjet, though? You can do the lullaby on Bruce after.”

Peter’s shoulders sag in relief as he exhales loudly once more. Natasha places a gloved hand on his forearm, squeezing it as a gesture of comfort, and though his face is covered by his mask, Peter’s smile of gratitude is evident to the other two.

Right. Okay.

Okay, he can do this.

He’s Spider-Man.

If he can help keep the people of New York safe, then he sure as hell can help take care of Tony.

There’s no way he’ll be leaving his mentor’s side anytime soon.

* * *

Several hours later, Peter’s sitting comfortably by Tony’s bedside in his private room in The Tower’s medical floor when the engineer’s eyes start to flutter open.

The young teen waits with bated breath as Tony slowly becomes aware of his surroundings. With the lights dimmed at fifteen percent, it doesn’t take long for the engineer’s eyes to focus and eventually meet Peter’s anxious ones.

“H-hey, Mr. Stark,” Peter whispers, voice breaking as his vision blurs. “How are you feeling?”

“Pete?” Tony slurs, blinking owlishly at him. His brows furrow in concern when he sees Peter’s tear-streaked face. It takes him several moments before Tony’s look of confusion melts as comprehension dawns on his face. “What’s wrong, kiddo? Are you okay?”

Unable to speak because of the huge lump in his throat, Peter nods his head instead, a jerking motion that causes a few tendrils of his dark hair to fall over his forehead.

“I am now,” he manages to choke out after several attempts.

Tony’s still frowning at him. “You sure? You look like someone just died.”

Peter opens his mouth and closes it several times before he huffs out a breath and launches himself into Tony’s arms, careful not to bring too much weight on the man’s tender ribs. Tony gives a startled noise of surprise, but he recovers quickly, arms automatically lifting and wrapping around the shaking teen’s back.

“I thought I was gonna lose you,” Peter mutters brokenly against the curve of Tony’s neck. “Mr. Stark, _I’m so sorry_. I should’ve seen it coming. I should’ve been quicker, should’ve been _better_.”

Tony shushes him, one hand rubbing soothing circles on Peter’s back as his other hand moves up to cradle the back of his head.

“There’s nothing to apologize for, kid,” Tony says quietly. Peter feels him press a dry kiss to his temple, and he can’t help the tears that fall down his cheeks at the affectionate gesture. “I don’t blame you _at all_ , so get that notion out of your head or else.”

Peter sniffs. “I’m still sorry.”

Tony sighs. “Then I forgive you, even if there’s nothing to forgive in the first place. I’ll be okay, Petey-pie. Besides, this is _me_ we’re talking about. I’ve survived worse things than a concussion.”

“Major concussion and bruised ribs,” Peter points out, his voice muffled.

“Fine. Major concussion and bruised ribs.” The young teen can totally picture his mentor rolling his eyes.

They remain in that position for several minutes more until they slowly pull away from the hug.

“I promise to be better, Mr. Stark,” Peter swears solemnly when he meets the older man’s eyes.

He knows it’s probably too much to be making such promises, but Peter’s adamant not to make the same mistake again. He’s already lost three people he holds dear, and Peter can’t bear the thought of losing another person he considers in the same regard as his parents and Uncle Ben. Especially when it’s the person whom he secretly thinks of as a father already.

Third time’s the charm, right?

Tony’s eyes soften at his words. He regards Peter with a heartfelt expression and doesn’t hesitate to grasp the young teen's hand in a firm grip. Peter squeezes his fingers back, and his chest swells and tightens with emotion at what Tony says next.

“You already are, kiddo.”

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know what you think! Reviews are motivation (and love)!


End file.
